[Peetwo]

Sorry to butt in here Capt Wannabe but I think you might find this of interest...

First note this quote from off the SKIDMORE GONE thread:

...And one of those areas of unwillingness has long been the AVMED branch. They have stubbornly defied three directors now when it comes to Class 2 medicals, and it seems AOPA in particular has had enough. They've started a petition to send to Minister Darren Chester asking him to direct CASA to adopt their policy, which is basically for the same medical criteria as RAAus, which some modifications. It is good to see AOPA staying on the case, but I'm not convinced that a petition to Canberra will keep the heat on the minister. Darren Chester has had enough briefings on general aviation to be well aware of the push for a "driver's licence" medical, and I personally will be very disappointed if it takes a petition to make him act. And just how well will the petition be received in Canberra? There are rumblings that the department is not happy with the bull-at-a-gate approach the association has adopted recently, and the petitions and letter could be seen as just another example of pressuring as distinct from lobbying. But I doubt AOPA is going to apologise to anyone for that.

May your gauges always be in the green,

Hitch

Read more at http://www.australianflying.com.au/the-l...wb3c7KT.99

And in rebuttal to Hitch's last on Avmed & the AOPA petition, courtesy Sandy:

Steve,

You say, quote, 

(Re the AOPA medical petition) "...and I personally will be very disappointed if it takes a petition to make him act. And just how well will the petition be received in Canberra? There are rumblings that the department is not happy with the bull-at-a-gate approach the association has adopted recently, and the petitions and letter could be seen as just another example of pressuring as distinct from lobbying. But I doubt AOPA is going to apologise to anyone for that."

Mate are you serious? You'd be disappointed if we had a policy change that would boost GA? 
Bull at a gate? Where's that? Would you think that tame pussy cat is the way to go? Look where that's got us.

AOPA has built a serious and substantial reform package and that's virtually folded into TAAAF and AMROBA with their joint reform policies to present a united front. 

Oh gee, poor Department and CASA not happy! ..well maybe it's just that I've been around for a lot longer than some and have watched a good industry go down the drain and numerous extremely unhappy  individuals be whacked with often no proper reason and certainly no recourse to any of the usual norms of justice. 

So what are you really saying, or are you tongue in cheek trying to provoke? Where's your plan?  What's the difference between pressuring and lobbying? Have you tried lobbying? Some find it quite lucrative, and some would point to the obvious downsides of the practice of paid lobbying. I've taken a deputation to Minister Truss trying to get his interest in reform at the behest of nobody and unpaid. Was that wrong or less than optimal? You can be Mr. Independent, the Voice of Reasonable, perhaps a go between, sure, stand back and take a long look. However I urge you to walk back to around 1980 and look widely, then turn retrace back through the destruction and look forward. 

Without government policy change I challenge you to see anything but more misery for GA and expensive mismanagement all around. Steve please if you can contribute insights to achieve reform we are all ears. 

Otherwise keep on and keep well,

Sandy Rumbling 
(My italics and bold in quote) 

MTF...P2